Consideraciones sobre la definición de hipertensión arterial a partir de un estudio de prevalencia en 1423 jóvenes. / [Definition of hypertension based on a prevalence study of 1,423 young adults]

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) was studied in 1423 individuals (702 males and 721 females) aged 21 years (Fig. 1, Table 1). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures and heart rate (HR) were measured three times on two different occasions separated by at least one week. Three different criteria were used to define AH (Table 3) 1) World Health Organization (WHO) [PAD > or = 95 mmHg in one casual determination]; Joint National Committee IV (JNC-4) [PAD > or = 90 mmHg on two different occasions]; and 3) Statistical [PAD > percentile 95 of the respective distribution]. BP was distributed normally in both males and females (Fig. 4). DBP decreased progressively along the six measurements (Fig. 2, Table 2), with the average of DBP determinations 4-6 being significantly lower than the average of determinations 1-3 (p < 0.05). SBP behaved in the same way (Fig. 2, Table 2), but in this case the 2nd and 3rd determinations within each occasion (2-3 and 5-6) were significantly lower than determinations 1 and 4, respectively (p < 0.05). As a result, the percentage of individuals of either sex with DBP > 90 mmHg was 14.7